A real American Picker Encounter

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I have been doing very little in terms of tools lately as I have a lot of other moving parts in my life. However, I ran across an ad on Facebook about an automobilia "collector" that turned out to be within 2 miles of my home. I had to go in search of tools, right? I must have passed by this guy's driveway 1000 times in my life at a minimum, and NEVER realized what was hiding in the hills above his modest little house. A Maltese immigrant who came to the US shortly after WW2, and took up trade as an auto body man. The breadth and scope of his "collection" are not done justice by the pictures shared here. I did end up with a few Whitworth wrenches shown in the last pic, the origin/maker of which I'm curious about. I did grab a Barcalo, and a King **** wrench as well.

 

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PS - Apparently everything is now for sale, and I share these pics with the gentleman's permission. If anyone sees anything they can't live without, I supposedly am welcome to return anytime, even though I only popped for $10 worth of wrenches.

 

[humber2]

The three dated wrenches have been supplied to Britain’s Ministry of Defence.

Might be able to identify maker if you image their flip side.

The AKD wrench is made by Abingdon King ****

 

[engineer2]

I bet nobody says out loud "I have an A King ****!"
Of course in my dating days that would have been bragging rights.

 

[bonneyman]

Oh wow, I could get lost in that place for a week!

 

[outofbounds]

The three dated wrenches have been supplied to Britain’s Ministry of Defence.

Might be able to identify maker if you image their flip side.

The AKD wrench is made by Abingdon King ****

Thanks, Humber!! Opposite side of those are blank I believe. (without scrubbing them down)

 

[Old Man Roger]

Wow! I would love to just walk around and look. The guy looks like he may be related to Albert Einstien too.lol

 

[ShadowRuleZ]

Looks like a neat place, sent you a private message.

 

[bbbarracuda]

I do love places like that!
I get to show the pictures to my wife. "See, I don't have that much stuff"

 

[Miss the Pontiacs]

WOW Just WOW Wish I lived closer. I would even pay admission to just look around.

 

[Jayman17]

Interesting place, unless you live next to him.

Jay

 

[Ricky Joe]

I would proudly live next to him. He might get tired of living next to me, because I would be constantly picking his brain.

 

[Lookin4'67Galaxieconv]

That is quite the setup. Love all the old tools, cars, and signage.

 

[woody 73]

Very cool...

 

[don long]

OH MAN IS THAT MY KIND OF PLACE
I'd try to become his best friend. I'm diving back in for seconds right now!!!!

 

[driftpin]

It's a mitten! But, what part of the mitten? I used to live there, but now am in south FL. That is a very eclectic collection of stuff. Where is it? I agree, probably a cool place to hang-out and to gain knowledge.

 

[paulsomlo]

No offense, but I'm glad that I'm not his heir.

 

[JjKk40]

Wow I'd love to find a place like this!

 

[3baygarage]

Very cool! That kind of collection doesn’t happen overnight.

Well, unless of course you are the heir.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

I thought I had a problem.....

 

[Y00PER]

I see we are in the same state, but with the lack of snow in your pics, I'm guessing nowhere near me

 

[msharley]

FANTASTIC!!

 

[nadogail]

Oh, another addition to the places I wish I could visit.

 

[softailgarage]

OH MAN IS THAT MY KIND OF PLACE
I'd try to become his best friend. I'm diving back in for seconds right now!!!!

My second thought was "hmmm, Don Long in 20 years" when I saw the old west building...LMAO (Sorry Don). My first thought was Oh...My...God

 

[DenisG]

New reality TV show - Hoarders vs. American Pickers.

 

[Old Man Roger]

No offense, but I'm glad that I'm not his heir.

This may sound strange, but I would love to be the guy that gets that property, and all that comes with it. I would make it my full time job listing everything I didn’t want, scrapping, and getting rid of the junk.

 

[outofbounds]

Interesting place, unless you live next to him.

Jay

Actually, his next door neighbor is his 60 y.o. son, and they have 11 acres all together. I didn't see the son's place, but I heard he is motorcycles. All in all pretty well contained behind fences and woodlots. Like I said I've lived within 2 miles of that most my life and never knew it existed.

 

[driftpin]

Show us 'on the mitten,' please.

 

[Raineman]

I started drooling with the first picture. Looks like a nice collection of Lesney Matchbox Models of Yesteryear in the Lorus watch case. I'd have been falling over myself to get a look at that.

 

[outofbounds]

Show us 'on the mitten,' please.

SE Michigan. Detroit suburbs.

 

[3baygarage]

New reality TV show - Hoarders vs. American Pickers.

That would be a good horror film. No one wants to sell anything, and the pickers have to find a safe exit before they become a permanent part of the hoard.

 

[driftpin]

SE Michigan. Detroit suburbs.

Thank-you. One of my MI college buddies was in Lake Orion/Oxford, now in Ortonville. Retired GM designer at the Warren Tech Center.

 

[Ricky Joe]

This may sound strange, but I would love to be the guy that gets that property, and all that comes with it. I would make it my full time job listing everything I didn’t want, scrapping, and getting rid of the junk.

What junk?

 

[Farmer J.]

I have relatives that are a bit like him, but not so tidy and organised..

 

[ZRX61]

He has Tim The Enchanter's hat!!

 

[Old Man Roger]

What junk?

I saw a broken plastic fan, an empty 5 gallon plastic bucket, and a couple of roofing shingles on the ground.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I like that he mixes rocks and driftwood and stuffed critters in with the garage stuff. This is what we do. We surround ourselves with things that become talismans and totems. Stuff that speaks to us and for us and about us. No different than humans have been doing for centuries. Whether it's owls or drain plugs. EDIT: Whether we realize it or not.

 

[Metallitubby]

OP, if you came across any Honda stuff, I'd be willing to make offers. I am friends with a guy that is starting an unofficial Honda museum, and anything would be welcome (I think).